This application generally relates to interactive multimedia distribution systems and, more particularly, to distributing video data streams having varying resolutions in such systems.
Multimedia streaming systems are limited by wireless bandwidth and multimedia delivery systems. For example, each subscriber's multimedia device may have different display formats, power settings, communications capabilities, and computational capabilities. Still further, each content distribution network that delivers or otherwise communicates media content to the multimedia device may have different maximum bandwidths, quality levels, time-varying characteristics, delivery reliability features, and delivery costs. And, as subscribers demand more and more content, higher definition services, interactive services, and data services, the existing network infrastructures have trouble supplying and utilizing adequate bandwidth. The industry is hard at work identifying new ways of utilizing bandwidth. The industry is also striving to reduce wasted bandwidth.
Conventional interactive multimedia distribution systems make use of a display device (coupled or otherwise integrated with the multimedia device) for presentation of video and/or graphical content. In order to enlarge or otherwise “zoom” to a selected image of the video and/or graphical content, the selected area is targeted and presented on the display device at a higher magnification. However, if an image plane becomes larger on the display device and the number of display pixels in a longitudinal direction is the same as that in a lateral direction, then the space between the pixels becomes larger. And, the displayed resolution appears lowered, thus the “definition” of the zoomed, selected image is lowered for a subscriber viewing the display device.
Consequently, the subscriber may desire to raise horizontal and vertical scanning frequencies of the video and/or graphical images to implement a higher resolution of the zoomed, selected image to the display device and provide an improved definition of the selected image plane. However, as briefly mentioned above, high-grade delivery techniques and increased costs are typically required to raise the quality of the image plane.
Accordingly, needs exist for image processing systems and methods that enable video or graphical data enlargement (i.e., “zooming”) to the display device and that also effectively leverage higher resolution data streams. Similarly, needs exist for image processing systems and methods to selectively control image plane presentation of zoomed content. Still further, a need exists for image processing systems and methods that recapture a lower resolution data stream of the video or graphical data when the zoom feature is deactivated.